Journey to the River Sea

Product Information

This was written in a way that reminded me of the books I read in junior school. It relit my ten year old self's yen for adventure and for things completely different to all I've known. In my initial review, I talked about how the novel was quite flat and very slow-paced. There were serious issues with the representation in this novel; racism, exoticism, and romanticism. I do not feel that the author represented their culture fairly and accurately (due to the problematic content). I vividly remember writing something in my review about the writing being very 'armchair'-esque. It reminded me of the days where Western anthropologists would sit comfortably in their homes writing about people from other cultures, obviously not very fairly and in a very "Othering" manner. I think that I may have also mentioned themes of colonialism and "white saviourism"? I was also certain that the author had little knowledge/experience of the cultures she was harmfully and incorrectly depicting. Not to say that you cannot write outside of your own experience, but this is not how you do it.

This may well be my favourite book. The first time I read it, I was ten years old and it was like nothing I'd ever read before. It's just magical.I've been thinking a lot about how children's fiction can play a role in the moral development of a child. Ibbotson writes in a variety of genres, but even her most humorous and farcical stories always have a particular moral clarity about them. She reminds me of Dahl in that way. The baddies are lazy, selfish, greedy, grasping -- and usually rich. The goodies are kind, honest, brave, resourceful, modest and hardworking. They yearn for connectedness, not things. The story is a little mix of A Little Princess, The Series of Unfortunate Events, Cinderella and … the book that Ibootson references/uses in this tale. Ha, ha. Maia herself is a charming protagonist. She’s resourceful, she’s intelligent and kind – I just adored her character. But while Maia might feel like what could only be described as a typically “classic” heroine don’t make the mistake of confusing her for a Mary Sue. Ibbotson rounds her character’s determined resourcefulness with flaws. Maia can be impulsive and her curious nature often leads her into scrapes. But it’s Maia’s determination, her ability to look for the best in people that makes her such a lovable heroine. Eva Ibbotson's style of writing about her characters, where she often seems to leave things unsaid, somehow makes the characters seem even more real because you use your own imagination to fill out some of the details. This was a very original book, the setting, the characters and the plot were all unusual but incredibly engaging. I highly recommend this book to anyone, I would give it 10 out of 10. But then Maia meets Finn, a wild boy in a canoe…..a boy who’s wrapped in mystery and adventure and who will soon take Maia on an unforgettable trip into the fantastic and magical rainforest.

In Ibbotson's attempt to invoke racial discussions, there was further, assumedly, unintended racism. This undermines the intent of the novel and plays further into the "saviourism" trope. Ibbotson is also not exactly an authority figure when discussing racism against Brazilians and South American Natives. Although, I appreciate the critique of Western/British colonial heritage and imbedded racism/white supremacy in Western cultures.Journey to the River Sea is a beautifully written novel, deserving its many accolades. As with so many young adult novels the protagonist has to find her way in the world through her own courage, gifts and wits, with just a little help from a few friendly helpers. She is the classic 'outsider' who doesn't appear to fit the mould: she looks different, loves books and, above all, is an orphan. (In fact, as we see, most of the children mentioned in this tale lose or have lost one or both of their parents.) Forget that we have a few possible literary trope borrowings (I suspect Peter Pan and Tarzan and The Jungle Book might have been distant influences, as well as the aforementioned Mary Poppins, Cinderella and, obviously, Little Lord Fauntleroy); it's what Ibbotson chooses to do with these themes that make this both unputdownable and rarely predictable.